CHILDREN across the county celebrated World Book Day by dressing up as characters from their favourite stories.

The Worcester News was inundated with pictures of youngsters wearing colourful costumes for the annual event, which celebrates the joy of reading.

Youngsters at primary and secondary schools, as well as teachers, embraced the 24th World Book Day.

Among the costumes were characters from children’s classics Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, The Tiger who Came to Tea and Little Red Riding Hood, with parents putting in a lot of effort to create their kids' costumes.

This year theme was Share a Story, with people encouraged to remember to spend 10 minutes a day reading and sharing tales, which can inspire children and make a crucial difference in their early years.

As part of World Book Day, which is an international charity, millions of £1 book tokens were distributed to children across the country. Youngsters could exchange them at shops for one of 12 special £1 books.

Libraries across the county also took part in World Book Day, through a partnership with the Reading Agency.

World Book Day is designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

For more pictures of how World Book Day was celebrated across Worcestershire, visit worcesternews.co.uk